Posts Tagged ‘Mayor John Brent’
Monday, June 10th, 2013
Eat Local Week’s 2013 signature event, the Winter Harvest Festival at Aratula, is hoping to pull in the crowds with tonnes of fun.
Twelve tonnes to be precise, the weight of the John Deere tractor competitors are being challenged to drag as part of the Kalbar and District Community Bank Tractor Pulling Competition at the festival on Saturday, 29 June.
“We are encouraging teams of 12 to sign up for this great charity event and pit their combined strength against a tractor kindly supplied by Kalfresh,” Mayor John Brent said.
“The team which clocks up the fastest time moving the tractor over a distance of 20 metres will win a cash prize for their nominated sporting club or community group.
“It’s a great money spinner for your local club in exchange for a bit of sweat and muscle.” First prize in the event is $1000, second prize is $750 and third prize is $250.
Entry forms are available from the Kalbar and District Community Bank branch or by calling Council’s Sport and Recreation Officer on 5540 5057.
Kalbar and District Community Bank chairman Wilson Neuendorf said the organisation was pleased to be able to lend its support to the Winter Harvest Festival.
“This event will be a great celebration of the region’s farming and agri-business community,” he said.
Apart from enjoying the tractor pulling event, visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to sample a wide range of Scenic Rim-produced food and beverages and tasting plates will be available for sale from exhibitor stalls.
Local products and produce will also be on sale in a farmer’s market.
Throughout the day there will be live music and entertainment, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations and plenty of family friendly activities.
“This will be a great day out for Scenic Rim locals and visitors to the region and I would encourage everyone to get along and enjoy the produce and activities,” Cr Brent said.
To find out more visit www.eatlocalweek.com.au
Tags: Bendigo Bank Kalbar, Eat Local Week, Kalfresh, Mayor John Brent, Tractor Pull, Winter Harvest Festival
Posted in Coming Soon, Events, Experiences, General News, People, Places, Scenic Rim Flavours | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
The region’s diverse array of arts and tourism attractions are highlighted in this year’s Cultural Trails of the Scenic Rim Studios and Events Guide.
Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, launched the 2013 guide to representatives from the Scenic Rim’s arts and tourism communities at The Centre recently.
Mayor John Brent said the Cultural Trails guide shines a spotlight on the region’s thriving tourism and creative industries and offers a treasure trove of information for locals and tourists alike. (more…)
Tags: Mayor John Brent, Scenic Rim Cultural Trails Scenic Rim Studios and Events Guide, Tourism minister Jann Stuckey
Posted in Coming Soon, Creative Streaks, Events, Experiences, General News | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 31st, 2012
Boonah and the wider Scenic Rim are celebrating their great success in hosting the recent Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) National Rally.
The local population swelled by approximately 2000 extra people for the week as the town welcomed over 1100 campervans and motorhomes to stop at the Boonah showgrounds, sports field and golf club.
Mayor John Brent said it was fantastic to see an event of such scale held in a rural town like Boonah.
“We welcomed our guests with a true sense of community spirit and showed them a great time with good old-fashioned hospitality. The town was alive with activity throughout the week,” he said.
Mayor Brent said it is estimated the event injected more than $2.5 million into the region.
“A number of community groups and organisations benefited from the event and the local business community experienced an increase in trade during the rally,” he said.
“Around 14 bus tours were organised especially for the event, so CMCA participants were able to take in everything our region has to offer.
“Many of the rally members had never been to the Scenic Rim before and they will now go on to share stories of their experiences with family and friends. I am confident that we will benefit from the positive after-effects of this event for some time,” he said.
The National Rally took two years to plan and 300 volunteers were involved in its set-up. They laid 2km of temporary water pipes to provide access for rally members and 780m of three-phase cable for temporary power.
Tags: Boonah campervans, Boonah Showgrounds, Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia, CMCA, CMCA National Rally, Mayor John Brent
Posted in Destination, Events, Experiences, General News | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012
The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) National Rally in Boonah is about to start, with 1100 caravans ready to roll into the town in the coming weeks.
Boonah’s population is expected to almost double from October 15 to 21, when the community hosts the CMCA National Rally.
The Boonah showground and surrounding ovals will become a town within a town, becoming temporary home for 1100 campervans and motorhomes from across the country and more than twice that number of CMCA members. In addition to CMCA members, more than 200 support staff, including traders and suppliers, will also attend.
Local businesses have been preparing for months and are ready to welcome the visitors. (more…)
Tags: Boonah Showgrounds, Campervan and Motohome Club of Australia, CMCA Rally, Mayor John Brent
Posted in Coming Soon, Destination, Events, Experiences, General News | No Comments »
Friday, August 31st, 2012
International online search engine, Google, has named the Scenic Rim among Australia’s top 10 e-Towns.
The new Google award recognises and ranks those communities which are outpacing the rest of the country in having its small businesses use the web to connect with customers and grow.
To provide a snapshot of this vital economic activity – estimated to be worth $70billion by 2016 – Google looked at more than 600 local government areas to analyse which communities were contributing the most to the digital economy. The Scenic Rim was named in the top five regional areas.
The top five regional areas were:
1. Byron Shire NSW
2. Meander Valley Tasmania
3. Cessnock NSW
4. Wingecarribee Shire NSW
5. Scenic Rim Regional Council area
The top metropolitan centre was Perth, followed by the City of Yarra in Victoria. Mayor John Brent says he is pleased the Scenic Rim’s level of connectivity with the digital economy has been recognized by Google. (more…)
Tags: etown awards, google, Mayor John Brent, Scenic Rim, technology, tourism industry
Posted in Awards, General News | No Comments »
Thursday, August 30th, 2012
Boonah’s population is expected to almost double from October 15-21 when the community hosts the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) National Rally.
The local showground and surrounding ovals will become a town within a town, becoming temporary home for well over 1000 campervans and motorhomes from across the country and more than twice that number of CMCA members. In addition to CMCA members, more than 200 support staff, including traders and suppliers, will also attend.
Mayor John Brent said hosting the CMCA National Rally was a coup not only for Boonah, but for the Scenic Rim region.
“Council recently adopted a new Regional Events Strategy aimed at boosting tourism and showcasing the Scenic Rim, through the attraction of major events such as this,” Cr Brent said.
“An estimated $2.5 million is expected to be spent before, during and after the event in the region by CMCA members. Local businesses and community organisations will benefit directly from the financial windfall from this event.”
Cr Brent said in the longer term, the Scenic Rim would no doubt benefit from return visitation from CMCA rally participants.
“We also expect participants will be touring the region before and after the event and have been working with organisers to establish staging points to facilitate this. There will also be a temporary Visitor Information Centre set up at the showgrounds to help CMCA members plan their stay and activities.”
CMCA Rally Manager Leo Huyghebaert said the support of Scenic Rim Regional Council had been invaluable in setting the stage for the event.
He said interest in the rally was ramping up among the club’s membership, who number 64,000 nationwide, but that many participants often left it to the last minute to confirm their attendance depending on how it fitted with their wider travel plans.
“Local businesses need to be aware of the influx of patrons they are likely to get during this week and be prepared,” Mr Huyghebaert said.
“We’ve had experiences in the past where the local butcher has sold a year’s supply of sausages in one week, service stations have had to order in extra deliveries of fuel and bakeries have had to work around the clock to keep up the supply of bread to CMCA visitors.
“There will also be a windfall for local community groups, from managing sausage sizzles to selling cakes for morning tea.”
Tags: boonah, Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia, CMCA Rally, Mayor John Brent, Scenic Rim
Posted in Coming Soon, Destination, Events, Experiences, General News | No Comments »
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
The second-annual Eat Local Week event was a great success, with big crowds reported for the range of events.
Visitors travelled from Brisbane, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and from around the region to enjoy the activities which focused on supporting local food producers.
The week culminated in the FEAST Celebration Dinner on Saturday night. The dinner attracted more than 200 people and was attended by State Minister for Agriculture, the Honorable John McVeigh.
Queensland Food Fellow, Alison Alexander, also attended the dinner, along with Mayor John Brent, local councilors and residents from around the region.
The dinner featured a menu made almost entirely from ingredients produced in the Scenic Rim.
The live entertainment was performed by Scenic Rim musicians and the room was themed and styled by locals – including wall murals by students from the Aratula State School.
Good crowds were reported to most Eat Local Week Events.
The Robotic Dairy at Tamrookum was a big success, particularly with children. (more…)
Tags: Eat Local Week, Feast Dinner, Kate Raymont, Mayor John Brent, Tamrookum Dairy
Posted in Events, Experiences, General News, Local Characters, People, Places, Scenic Rim Flavours | No Comments »
Saturday, May 26th, 2012
Mayor John Brent opened the new $12-million Sky Lodges development at Binna Burra this month, marking a new direction for the historic hinterland retreat.
The opening comes nearly 80 years after tourism pioneers Arthur Groom and Romeo Lahey first invited guests to stay at their Binna Burra Lodge.
Members from the Groom and Lahey family attended the opening, as did LNP member for Beaduesert Jon Krause and Yugambeh Aboriginal Elder Aunty Ruby Rose.
The Sky Lodges development remains true to the founder’s original vision to introduce visitors to the wonders of the Lamington National Park, however it makes that introduction in a very modern way.
Guest comfort was upper-most on the minds of the Binna Burra board and the project architects, dm2 architecture when they designed the 20 Sky Lodges, which offer a stylish and contemporary alternative to Binna Burra’s traditional cabins.
Perched on the side of a mountain with stunning north-facing views across Coomera and Numinbah Valleys, the Sky Lodges are fully self-contained and have been finished to the highest of standards.
Ann Neal, the granddaughter of Romeo Lahey is the only surviving member of the first Christmas Camp, held by Romeo and Arthur in 1933. She joined Arthur Groom’s son Richard at the Sky Lodges opening. About 220 people attended the opening, before enjoying lunch on the Coomera Terrace. (more…)
Tags: Ann Neale, Arthur Groom, Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, Jon Krause MP, Mayor John Brent, Richard Groom, Romeo Lahey, Sky Lodges
Posted in Destination, Experiences, General News, Local Characters, outdoor adventure, People, Places | No Comments »
Monday, March 5th, 2012
The Centre at Beaudesert turned five last month and the celebrations will continue all year long.
The celebrations began when QLD Governor, Her Excellency Penelope Wensley launched the new Studios of the Scenic Rim booklet on February 28.
In her forward in the booklet Ms Wensley encourages Queenslanders to visit the Scenic Rim to visit the artist studios.
“The 2012 Studios and Cultural Trails of the Scenic Rim is also a reflection of who we Queenslanders are in the 21st Century – a thriving cultural community that is keen to encourage the widest possible audience to share and experience its creativity,” she wrote.
With these words Ms Wensley has summed up the charter of the Scenic Rim’s Cultural Centres so concisely.
The region is very fortunate to boast a range of high-quality cultural facilities, designed to showcase the talents of our local creative artists and performers, as well as a range of touring theatrical performances, exhibitions, film screenings, concerts and other events.
Next year the Boonah Cultural Centre will celebrate its 10th year and over the past decade the centre has welcomed a veritable who’s who of Australian and international performers … everyone from Kamahl to Kitty Flanagan and many in between.
Both the Beaudesert and Boonah Cultural Centres contribute significantly to the delivery of cultural tourism in the Scenic Rim.
The Scenic Rim is a community that welcomes visitors, and is willing to share stories about the distinctive features of the region. The experiences that are offered showcase our sense of place and community. While not everyone would directly associate this with tourism, it is very much consistent with the type of authentic experience the modern tourist is looking for … and our two major Cultural Centres are providing these cultural tourism opportunities every day.
Over coming months there is plenty of new and exciting experiences on offer at the Boonah and Beaudesert Centres, including: (more…)
Tags: Mayor John Brent, Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley, Studios of the Scenic Rim 2012, The Boonah Cultural Centre, The Centre
Posted in Coming Soon, Creative Streaks, Events, Experiences, General News | No Comments »
View a selection of the videos that showcase the Scenic Rim Region.
